Opening Closed Doors
by HaleyJamesPotter
Summary: Fem!Harry Haley James Potter is being abused by the relatives she was left with after her parents tragic deaths. Molly and Arthur meet the poor girl and decide to help her by taking her in. WARNING: Child Abuse! Sexual Abuse on Minor! Language! Adult Content!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own HARRY POTTER! Just kidding. I don't even own a car let alone harry potter.**

**AN: So I'm kinda new at this so Reviews would be very appreciated. Just to see if its worth continuing. Let me know!**

8 year old Haley James Potter was sitting in her cupboard. She had been in there for the past 2 days without food or water. She was used to this though she did hope her Aunt and Uncle would let her out sometime soon though. This time she wasn't even sure what she did wrong. Haley was starting to get older and wiser. She always believed that she deserved her punishments but lately she was starting to think that her family just didn't like her.

A few months ago a teacher gave them the definition of abuse because it turned out that a student had been abused by his step-father. There were 5 types of abuse that she mentioned; physical, emotional, verbal, mental, and sexual. Haley listened intently to each of their definitions. If she understood correctly she could think of several examples of each of them. Why hadn't she told anyone that day? She just couldn't bring herself to do it. She wasn't sure if her punishments counted. She still wasn't completely sure. For now it was best to just lay low and take her punishments like she always did.

Finally her door opened. "Get out, girl!" Uncle Vernon snapped. She hurried to stand up and got out of her cupboard. "Kitchen! Now!"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," was all Haley said in return as she walked.

When she walked in she saw Aunt Petunia putting a couple slices of bread and a glass of water on the table. She pointed at it and commanded, "Eat."

Haley didn't need to be told twice. She sat down and quickly ate and drank before they could change their minds.

When she was done her uncle entered the kitchen and said, "Now listen here girl! Your aunt, Dudders, and I are going out of town to a drill convention."

'That sounds like fun,' Haley thought sarcastically but thought it best not to say anything.

"Usually we would leave you at Mrs. Figg's but unfortunately she is out of town for a few weeks. Obviously you won't be coming with us! But you also cannot stay in our house alone. You would touch our things and eat our food! No, that is unacceptable!" Uncle Vernon's face was turning red at the thought of her being there alone.

"What do you want me to do then?" Haley asked getting worried. Where on earth would she stay?

She was pulled out of her thoughts by her uncle slapping her. Hard. "Don't interrupt!" Vernon spat. "You will leave the house until Tuesday evening. You will be locked out so don't even bother trying to get in! I don't care where you go just be anywhere but here. We are leaving in an hour so you better hit the road right away!" Vernon finished and left a stunned girl alone in the kitchen. TUESDAY! But today was Tuesday! They were going to be gone for a whole week? And she had nowhere to go the whole time.

She ran to her cupboard and grabbed the few things she owned. This was only an extra pair of socks, a sweater, one of Dudley's old books that he never read (Charlotte's Web), a bag of crisps that she smuggled in (just in case she was locked in for a little too long), a small plastic water bottle that was empty, and the only thing she actually cared about. Her watch. Not that the Dursleys gave it to her. They didn't even know she had it. Haley only ever had one friend. His name was Joey. He too was an outcast at school but it was for a different reason than Haley. Haley's cousin scared everyone away from her. Joey, one the other hand, was very sick. He had something called cancer. Haley didn't fully understand it but she knew that after sometime it was going to kill him. Haley wanted to spend as much time with him as possible before he left her. It was Joey's watch. He gave it to her on her seventh birthday. He was getting sicker and said he wanted her to have something to remember him by. He died five weeks later. Haley cried for weeks. No matter how many times Uncle Vernon hit her to try to get her to shut up. She had to morn.

Haley quickly put everything into Dudley's old backpack and left the house. Now what? Which way could she go? If Joey was still here she could go to him but he was gone and she needed to stop thinking about him. She was in trouble. 'Haley, you are a smart girl, no matter what Uncle Vernon says. Think. What are the basic necessities to live?' she thought to herself. 'Food and water.' She had the crisps. That would have to do for food considering she didn't have any money. Water. Well she has and empty water bottle. Haley snuck around to the back of the house and filled the bottle with the hose. 'Okay, now shelter. It was only noon so she would have some time to find a place. She ran off and started heading down the street. She didn't really know where she was going but she needed to find someplace.


	2. Chapter 2

After half an hour of walking she came across the local park. 'Of course!' Haley thought happily, 'I can stay in the park. It's a big park! There is a jungle gym. I could sleep in the tunnel and there is a public bathroom.' Haley knew that they locked the bathrooms in the evenings but she would be able to use them to refill her water bottle in the sink during the day. Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to sleep in there.

Haley crossed the park and sat on one of the benches. She pulled out her book and began to re-read it. It was her favorite book. She didn't often take anything from the Dursleys but she knew no one would miss it. She had wanted to read it but the school library didn't have it. When Dudley got it for his birthday she knew he would forget he even owned it in a week. She was right of course. She had to have read it about a dozen times already but she sat on the bench and read until the sun started going down.

Once everyone started leaving the park she crossed to the jungle gym and hid in one of the tunnels. She watched as the park maintenance man lock the bathrooms. She stayed low so he wouldn't see her. Soon it was dark and Haley laid in the tunnel listening to the distant noises. It was scary sleeping out there but then again it was also scary sleeping at the Dursley's. She never knew if Uncle Vernon would come to her in the middle of the night. That wasn't a normal punishment right? She had never heard of anyone else getting punished like that. Maybe it was because no one ever got in as much trouble as she did. Then again if she acted like Dudley did she would have starved to death ten times over. She didn't deserve it. She fell asleep trying to convince herself of that.

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Haley woke up the next morning to the sound of birds chirping. She checked her watch to see the time. 6:47. 'Well,' Haley thought, 'I got through one night. Only six more to go.' She climbed out of the tunnel and stretched. She grabbed her bag and headed back to the bench she was on yesterday and began reading again.


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile at the Burrow everything was normal and busy. Molly had all seven children home for the summer holidays. Although she was happy to have Bill, Charlie, and Percy home from Hogwarts it did make things a bit more hectic. Ten year olds Fred and George caused enough trouble on their own. She was out of practice. What they really needed was a day out of the house. It was Wednesday so usually Arthur would need to go into work but because he had been working overtime a lot lately his boss decided to give him the week off with pay. Molly was happy to have the help. It was actually his idea to take all the kids to their favorite park. It was a fair ways away but with them apparating to kids at a time it didn't take long for all over them to arrive.

The apparating point was only a few blocks to the park. They walked the rest of the day. Molly thought Arthur was a genius for this idea. She even packed a large lunch so they could stay there most of the day. The Weasleys didn't have much money so they couldn't take their kids to do some of the things they wished they could but considering the park was free to the public they could take their kids there whenever. The children just loved it. Ginny loved sitting by the pond and watching the ducks swimming while the boys always found some sort of adventure and always came back covered in mud. Arthur and Molly usually just sat on a bench talking and watching their kids have fun.

Once they arrived the kids scattered off to play and Arthur walked with an arm around Molly's shoulder towards the benches. When they arrived they found that there regular bench was taken though. Sitting on it was a young girl (probably Ginny's age) reading a book in silence. Molly and Arthur went to sit on the bench beside the young girls. Molly watched the girl. She was intrigued that the girl was in such a big park and all she wanted to do was read. Also where were her parents? No child that age should be in such a big park unattended. Arthur saw the look on his wife's face. 'Mother's intuition,' he thought to himself. He looked the girl over. There was something odd about her. First of all she was in boys clothes and they huge off her. There was a large hole in the knee of her jeans. Her hair was covering a large portion of her face but through the strands of dirty hair he could swear there was a bruise. Clearly Molly saw it to. She had a determined look on her face. Arthur knew that look all too well. Molly was about to get her way; whatever that might entail. Molly gave Arthur a sad look and he just nodded. They had an unspoken bond. It occurs when you have been a couple for as long as they have. Molly stood up and crossed over to the young girl. She didn't seem to even know she was there. She looked like she was too engrossed in her book to be paying attention to what was happening around her.


	4. Chapter 4

Haley was in her own world. She was at the most intense part of the book. It was the part where Charlotte dies and Wilbur loses his best friend. Haley knew how that felt so the book really spoke to her. The book always reminded her of Joey. Joey was like Haley's Charlotte. He was taking care of the runt to make sure she didn't get slaughtered. It was kind of sad when you think about it but when Joey was alive he helped her by giving her food and bandages. He hated seeing her hurt.

It wasn't until Haley heard someone say, "May I sit with you?" that Haley looked up. She saw a plump youngish woman looking down at her with a kind smile. Haley was a good at judging people from first glances. She could easily tell when someone shouldn't be trusted but this lady was not one of those people. She had wider hips and was a little older so Haley assumed she had a child. There was a large picnic basket beside the man she assumed was her husband (who was sitting on the bench beside hers) so she probably had more than one. She had kind eyes but they looked slightly sad. Almost as if she was worried. The smile she wore seemed more like it was to comfort Haley than it was genuine. It only took Haley a minute to decide that she could most likely trust this woman.

I response to the woman's question Haley grabbed her backpack and set it on the ground at her feet and pushed over to make room.

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Molly saw what the girl was doing and took it as an invitation to sit down. She was worried that she may not let her sit because she just watched her for a few minutes. It was almost like she was evaluating her. She looked down at the girl and saw that she had once again turned to her book.

"What are you reading?"

A quite shy voice replied with, "Charlotte's Web."

"I've never heard of it. What's it about?"

The girl set the book on her lap and once again looked at Molly as if she was evaluating her before speaking, "It's about a runt pig that a farmer wants to slaughter but a spider saves his life by making him seem like a special pig by writing words in her web describing the pig, like "Some Pig" or "Terrific". Then the spider passes away and the pig is sad but he has her egg sack and promised her that he would take care of it until her children hatched."

Molly was over joyed that the girl was talking to her. She wanted to gain her trust so they could talk about more personal things. "You seem to have memorized the book very well have you read it before?"

"Twelve times."

"Why do you keep reading it?" Molly asked genuinely curious.

"It's my favorite book and has a deeper personal meaning behind it."

That answer floored Molly. She sounded like a grown woman not a child. She looked at Arthur who was obviously listening to their conversation because he was wide eyed. Molly looked back at the girl and said, "I guess I haven't introduced myself. I am Molly Weasley and this is my husband Arthur."

The girl looked at Arthur and gave a small shy wave.

"Do you want to tell us your name, Sweetheart?" Molly pried.

She thought for a moment before quietly saying, "Haley."


	5. Chapter 5

'What is with this lady?' Haley thought to herself. 'Why is she asking so many questions? No one ever questioned me before.'

"Where are your parents Haley?" Mrs. Weasley questioned.

Now Haley was at a cross road. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone about herself according to Uncle Vernon. It was one of the rules. Another rule was that when you are asked a question by an adult you are supposed to tell them the truth. She looked at Mrs. Weasley, who was obviously hoping for an answer and she decided to the rule that she thought would make Mrs. Weasley happy.

"They died seven years ago," she answered looking at the ground.

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The sound of defeat in Haley's voice made Molly's heart break but she needed to find out what happened to the young hurt girl in front of her so she continued to ask questions.

"I'm sorry Haley," Molly started, "Who do you live with?"

"My aunt and uncle," Haley said this so quietly it was almost a whisper.

"Are they here with you?" Molly asked although she was sure she knew the answer. Haley just shook her head. "Where are they?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, you really shouldn't be sitting in the park completely alone."

Haley shrugged and said, "I didn't really have a choice. I had nowhere else to go."

Molly had to strain her ears to hear the poor girl. "Well when are they going to pick you up?"

"They aren't," Haley said her voice cracking.

"How long have you been here?" Molly asked getting more worried.

Haley took a long time before answering in a whisper, "Noon."

Molly looked at her watch and said, "Um, Haley it's only 11:35." She was slightly confused.

She wasn't actually prepared for what she heard next. Haley quietly said, "Yesterday. Noon yesterday."

"Oh my goodness! When were you supposed to go home?" Molly asked horrified.

"I wasn't."

"What do you mean Haley? You stayed here in the park all night?"

"Uncle Vernon said that they were going out of town and that I wasn't allowed to go there until next Tuesday. I had nowhere else to go so I decided to stay here. I slept in the tunnel," Haley said this loud enough to hear but she said it in a rush. It seemed as if she wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible.

Molly was flabbergasted. What were they going to do? Clearly this girl had no one and her family didn't care about her. Arthur heard everything. He got off his bench and knelt in front of Haley.

"Haley, I need you to answer a very important question. Can you do that?" Arthur asked.

Haley stared at her holey jeans as she gave a slight nod.

"Has your aunt or uncle ever hurt you in anyway?"


	6. Chapter 6

Finally someone asked the question Haley had been asking herself but her uncle's words haunted her. 'What happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors!' But the Weasleys seemed so nice. She didn't have it in her to lie to them. What would happen to her if she told them? What would happen if she didn't?

Before Haley had a chance to over analyze her options she gave a small nod.

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When Molly saw the nod she had silent tears running down her face. She wiped them away fast because she wanted to remain strong for the girl.

Arthur and Molly shared a look and they both understood that Haley was probably going to come home with them tonight no matter how long it took to convince her. They couldn't let her stay here or go back to her relatives. Molly heard a small a loud grumble come from her Haley's stomach.

"Haley, sweetheart, when was the last time you ate?" Molly questioned.

"Yesterday."

"And, if you don't mind me asking, what did you eat?"

"Two slices of dry bread and a glass of water ma'am."

Molly gasped slightly and Arthur asked, "What did you eat the time before that?"

"An apple," Haley said slightly confused to why this all matter to them.

"Was that yesterday also?" Molly asked quietly.

Haley shook her head and said, "No ma'am. It was two days before that."

Molly didn't trust herself to say anything she just sat there trying not to cry. It was Arthur that spoke up, "Well, we would be honored if you joined our family on our picnic. They kids will be back in a few minutes to have lunch. You can meet all of them."

"How many children do you have?" Haley asked quietly.

"Seven. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny," Arthur answered.

Haley couldn't stop herself from saying, "That's a lot of kids!" Then she turned very red but Arthur and Molly just chuckled.

"Would you please join us?" Molly asked once she got control of her emotions.

Haley couldn't say no when they asked so politely so she nodded and put her book back in her bag.

"Wonderful!" Molly said cheerfully as she stood up to get the basket and blankets (they couldn't all fit on one).

Arthur and Molly spread the blankets on the ground and Haley just stood beside, clinging to her backpack. Molly started pulling lots of different foods out of the basket. The basket appeared to be endless.

Arthur then said, "Oh here they come!"

Haley looked up to see 6 ginger boys and 1 ginger girl running in their direction. So these must be there kids. When they arrived they all gave Haley a bewildered look before turning to their father. Arthur caught this and said, "Kids, this is Haley. We invited her to have lunch with us." He also gave them a look that they all knew meant, 'be nice.' "Why don't you introduce yourselves while I help your mother?"

Being the oldest Bill decided to lead by example, "Hello, Haley. It's nice to meet you. I'm Bill." Haley gave a small wave but wouldn't look him in the face any longer than necessary to recognize him.

"I'm Charlie. Glad you could join us."

"My name is Percy."

"I'm Fred and that's George!"

"Don't worry if you mix us up!"

"Mum does it all the time," the twins finished together.

"Hiya! I'm Ron!"

"Hi! My name's Ginerva! But everyone calls me Ginny! We can be friends! I'm tired of being surrounded by boys."

Arthur spoke next, "Well now that you all know each other why don't we eat."

Molly patted a piece of the blanket beside her and said, "Come sit down Haley." She wanted to be near her to make sure she ate something. Haley kept her head down as she sat down. Molly handed her a paper plate and told her to help herself to whatever she wanted. Haley didn't make a move to get any food though. She was always to last one to get food but now everyone was waiting on her to take something.

"Go on, Haley," Bill tried to encourage her.

She looked at Molly and Arthur and they both nodded. So Haley reached out and grabbed a bun. Molly felt so sad for her. Molly was going to give her more food when Percy put a couple pieces of sandwich meat, Ginny gave her a couple berries, and Charlie gave her some cheese. Ron then passed the butter down so her bun wasn't dry. Molly and Arthur were very proud in that moment. Haley was stunned. For the first time she looked them all in the face and they gave her encouraging smiles. Once Haley started eating the food they put on her plate everyone started serving themselves.

Haley still didn't have much on her plate but she ate every bite and for her it was very filling. "Would you like anymore, Haley?" Arthur asked hopefully.

Haley shook her head and said, "No thank you, sir."

Once the kids finished eating they went off to play again. They invited Haley but she said no thank you. She saw Mrs. Weasley cleaning up and grabbed one of the blankets and folded it for her while thinking, 'I wish I had one of these. It got rather cold last night.'

She handed it to Mrs. Weasley and she said, "Oh, thank you dear, but you didn't need to do that." Haley just shrugged.


	7. Chapter 7

When they had finished cleaning up Haley went back to the bench. This time Molly sat on one side of her and Arthur on the other. Neither of them knew what to say. It was like Haley sensed this because she started the conversation by saying, "Thank-you for the meal, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh it was no problem, dear. You are far too skinny," Molly said grateful that Haley said something.

"Haley, can I ask you something?" Arthur asked slowly.

"I believe you have just done so; however you may continue asking questions. Whether or not I answer is up for grabs though depending upon the questions you would like to ask me."

Molly and Arthur stared at her with their mouths agape. They looked at each other and were thinking the same thing, 'Bloody hell! She sounds like Dumbledore!'

When Arthur recovered he asked, "Well, um, first of all I was wondering if you actually wanted to return to your aunt and uncles."

"I can't go. They locked me out"

"Um, actually, Haley, I think Arthur meant would you rather live somewhere else?" Molly explained.

Haley thought about it, "I guess, but I have no other relatives, no friends, and I refuse to go to an orphanage because I heard about what happens in them. It doesn't really matter what I want."

"We are your friends," Arthur countered and Haley just gave him a bewildered look.

"Haley, dear," Molly said getting Haley to look at her. Haley wouldn't look her in the face though so Molly put a finger under her chin and gently lifted her head so she would look at her. "Arthur and I wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we left you here and then let you go back to your relatives. Would you like to come home with us?"

Haley didn't know what to say. "Bbbut yo... you don… you don't even know me?" Haley finally managed to spit out.

"We would like to get to know you sweetheart. Please let us help you," Molly said desperately.

"I… I dddo… I don't want to be a…" Haley said before stopping.

"A what, Haley?" Arthur pushed.

"A burden to you," Haley said softly.

Molly had tears threatening to overflow, "Oh Haley! You are not a burden," she said firmly, "You are a young girl that deserves to be loved and taken care of. Obviously those are two things your guardians are lacking in your care. Please give us a chance. I know the children will love you! I don't want to see you get hurt." Molly's begging was enough to make anyone cave.

"Um, alright, i… if you're… sure."

"Oh Haley! We haven't been more sure of anything," Arthur replied cupping her cheek.

They sat there in silence for a while before Molly asked, "Haley, how old are you?"

"Eight."

"When's your ninth birthday?" Arthur asked.

"July 31."

"Oh that's only a few weeks away!" Molly said excited. "We'll have to do something special!"

"I don't really do anything for my birthday."

"Well you at least have cake and presents, right?" Arthur asked but was unsure.

"No." Haley said shrugging it off. She didn't care that much.

"Well, you will with us," Molly said firmly.

Haley started feeling guilty, "Oh you don't have to do that!"

"Nonsense. It will be fun!" Arthur said.

Haley decided it was best not to argue. They continued to talk about small things for a while. Arthur and Molly didn't want to make her uncomfortable yet with too many personal questions. They also thought it would be best to tell her a bit about themselves. The big question is what to do about magic.

"Um, Haley, would you please stay here while Arthur and I talk to the children?" Molly asked.

Haley nodded and they stood up. As they walked in the direction of the kids Molly asked, "How are we going to get home? I don't think we should tell her about magic yet."

Arthur looked over at Haley and snorted, "I don't think it's going to be a problem."

Molly looked back at Haley to see that she had fallen asleep on the bench. She gave a small giggle and Arthur said, "I will just set a small charm on her to keep her from waking up and we can apparate her home. We will tell her she fell asleep and I carried her to the car."

They got the kids and explained who Haley was and they all went to the Burrow.


	8. Chapter 8

When Haley woke up she was more comfortable and well rested than she could ever remember. That made her suspicious. She tried to sit up but got tangled in her blankets and, with a slight yelp, fell off the side of a sofa.

She then heard a chuckle and someone say, "Mum! I think Haley's up!" Then she heard footsteps and someone else say, "Oh dear! What happened?" It sounded as if she too wanted to laugh at Haley's clumsiness. Haley pulled a blanket off and looked up from the place she had fallen on the ground. Haley was still a little dazed so she quickly shook her head a few times before asking, "Where am I?"

"Oh right, of course you wouldn't know. You fell asleep at the park but we had all already agreed that you weren't staying there so we brought you home with us."

Then events of the previous day flooded back to her. Instantly she felt warm inside. These people must care if they took her home with them; especially if she was asleep. They would have needed to carry her. Mrs. Weasley helped Haley get untangled from her blankets. Haley saw Charlie on a chair nearby chuckling at her still. "You must have really been tired," Molly said while silently thinking that maybe there charm was to strong. She had been asleep for almost twenty hours. "We should get you cleaned up. Come along, sweetheart." Molly put an arm around and guided her in the direction of the bathroom. "I put some on Ginny's clothes in there. They are some of her older things but you're so small that they may be a little big. It's that best we can do at the moment though." When they arrived at the bathroom she said, "Take as long as you need. There's shampoo and soap in the shower. Use it. Sleeping in a park seems to make you rather dirty. There is a hair brush and some towels by the sink. Just leave the towels you use in here and bring all your old clothes downstairs. I think they deserve to be burned."

Haley was relieved when Mrs. Weasley finally left. She had no idea of how she was supposed to react around any of them. Haley tried to clean up as fast as she could but Mrs. Weasley was right. She was filthy. She hardly recognized herself in the mirror. The warm water in the shower also made the cuts and burns on her back and arms feel much better. Haley zoned out for a minute remembering how she got those.

_Haley was cooking supper for the Dursleys. Aunt Marge was coming for to spend one night. 'Only one night and then she's gone,' Haley thought to her as she heard the car pull up in the driveway. 'One miserable night.' Haley was almost done supper when they came in. _

_"You're still not done!" Uncle Vernon bellowed._

_"I'm sorry Uncle Vernon! It will be finished in five minutes. All I have left to do is put together the salad. I didn't know how long you were going to be and I didn't want it to get soggy," Haley begged his uncle to understand._

_"No excuses!" Vernon snapped before turning to his sister, "Marge, what do you believe a suitable punishment would be?"_

_Haley could almost see an evil glint in Marge's eyes. "I think we should set her aside for now so we can have a decent meal." She grabbed Haley by the hair and pulled her upstairs to the guestroom Marge slept in. Vernon came in carrying rope. "Strip!" Marge bellowed. When Haley faltered Vernon slapped her so hard she fell backwards. _

_"She gave you an order!" _

_Haley did as she was told. Then they made her lie on her stomach on the bed. They tied her hands to the headboard and feet to the footboard. They left her there. When they came back a few hours later they had what Uncle Vernon called his "toys". Marge got to choose which "toys" to use this time considering she was the guest. She particularly liked the whip._

_After a while they untied Haley and forced to lie on her recently beaten back. Vernon held her down as she watched Marge hold pin in the flame of a candle. 'What on earth is she going to do?'_

_"I think it's about time this bitch was branded as the freak she is," Marge said as she took the needle out of the flame and pressed it to Haley's armed. She tried to scream but it was muffled by Vernon putting a hand over her mouth._

Haley looked down at her arm. Once you washed the dirt away you could see the scars very clearly. They spelt out FREAK and WHORE in large letters. At that moment Haley decided that no matter what the Weasley were a much better choice over the Dursleys and she would like to stay with them as long as they would have her.


	9. Chapter 9

Once Haley was out of the shower she got dressed and ran into a dilemma. Mrs. Weasley gave Haley a pair of jeans and a tank top. Everyone was going to see her scars. They would know she was a freak. Haley took her time getting ready. She wanted to stall as long as possible. She brushed her hair until it was smooth and dry. She folded the towels five times each to make sure they were perfect. She even folded her old clothes. Finally there was nothing else to do to stall. She left the bathroom and headed downstairs.

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"Molly, did Haley wake up?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, she's been in the bathroom for almost two hours; can't blame her though she was awfully dirty. Do you think she will trust us?"

"All I know is that we will do everything we can to help her. I won't let her go back there."

There were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

Haley entered the room holding her old clothes as if to shield her body. "Oh Haley dear! I almost didn't recognize you. You look much better. How was your shower?" Molly asked.

Haley quietly said, "Fine ma'am. Thank-you."

Molly glanced at Arthur before turning to Haley again and saying, "You can just set you old clothes on the counter there. I will dispose of them later." Arthur knew that when she said, "dispose" she actually meant burn the awful clothes. Haley did as she was told then held arms across her chest as if protecting herself.

Molly and Arthur found this odd. "Um, Haley, dear, would you please sit down?" Haley sat at the table as requested, her arms still in a protective shield. Molly sat beside Haley and Arthur made his way to cross behind Haley to sit on the other side of when he froze in shock.

"Arthur?" Molly asked trying to figure out what her husband was doing. She stood up to see what Arthur was looking and made a choking sound. On the parts of Haley's shoulders that could be seen around the tank top there were deep cuts. Once they got a handle on themselves they took their seats.

"Haley?" Molly said gently. Haley had her eyes closed to keep the tears back. "Sweetheart, we need to talk about these. Please look at us."

Haley couldn't stand Mrs. Weasley begging. It was so sad. She looked at Mrs. Weasley and saw that she too was on the verge of crying. She then looked at Mr. Weasley. He looked pale, sad, and slightly angry but Haley was pretty sure he wasn't angry at her.

"Haley," Arthur said quietly, "Did your family do this to you?" He already knew the answer but he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth.

Haley closed her eyes and gave a small nod.

"Did they do anything else?" Molly asked.

Another nod.

Molly and Arthur shared a look. They were both wondering the same thing but didn't exactly want to know the answer.

"Haley, did they ever… Did they touch you…? Inappropriately?" Arthur managed to ask.

Instead of answer Haley broke down. That was answer enough. How could something like this happen to anyone? Haley was only eight! Molly couldn't stand it she burst into tears also. She pulled Haley into a hug and was slightly surprised when she didn't resist. She pulled Haley onto her lap and the two of the cried together. Arthur put his arms around the weeping girls and tried to comfort them.


	10. Chapter 10

It took about an hour for them to calm down. Haley went back to her own seat still sniffling. Arthur cleared his throat before saying, "Sweetheart, is there anything else you want us to know right now?"

Haley just presented her arms in response. They see large letters on each arm. Her left arm read FREAK and her right arm read WHORE. If Molly had any tears left she would cried now. These people were monsters.

"Who could do something like that?" Molly whispered as she ran her hand over the scars lightly causing Haley to slightly flinch. Molly took her hand back. "We need to get you looked over."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to be looked at by a healer," Arthur explained.

"Healer? Like a doctor? At a hospital? I can't go to a hospital!" Haley said slightly panicked.

Arthur noticed the urgency in her voice and said, "I have a friend that's a healer. If we got her to come here would you let her take a look at your injuries so she can heal them?"

Haley thought about it for a long time before saying, "No hospital?"

"No hospital," Arthur said firmly.

Haley nodded, "Okay."

"Good! You two go into the living room and I will call her," Arthur said. He really just wanted Haley out of the room so he could use the floo.

Once they were out Arthur took a pinch of floo and said, "Hogwarts Hospital Wing!" and disappeared in the flames.

888

When Arthur arrived he saw that the wing was empty. This wasn't surprising because it was summer break.

"Poppy!?" Arthur called.

"Arthur? What are you doing here?" a voice asked. He turned around to see Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall.

"Oh hello, Albus, Minerva. I'm looking for Poppy. It's kinda important."

"Did someone call?" Poppy asked as she came out of her office. "Arthur, what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping you would make a house call. It's kind of important."

Albus asked, "Are the children alright?"

"Yes but you see when we took them to the park today we met someone. Her name is Haley. Her aunt and uncle have been badly abusing her and they left town. She wasn't even allowed to stay at the house. She had spent the night in the park. We took her home with us last night. This morning we she took a shower and we gave her some of Ginny's clothes and we saw several cuts on her back and…" Arthur said this all very panicky and then he seemed to have problems speaking, "She has marks on her arms. Her so called family carved words on her arms. We are also pretty sure she was sexual assaulted."

Once Arthur was done Poppy said, "I'll go get my supplies!" and ran off.

Minerva was positively shaking. She may not know the girl but she didn't like the thought of anyone getting hurt.

Albus was extremely worried and suspicious, "Arthur, how old is this girl?"

"Eight but she turns nine on the 31st."

"What color are her eyes?" Albus asked although he was almost sure he knew the answer.

"They are a beautiful shade of green. Why?"

Minerva caught on and gasped, "Albus, you don't actually think…"

"Arthur where is the park you found her?" Albus continued to question.

"Little Whinging," Arthur answer to Albus' dismay.

"I TOLD YOU!" Minerva shouted, "I told you they were the worse sort of muggles!"

"Minerva! What are you talking about?!" asked a shocked Arthur.

Albus cleared his throat and said, "I believe the young girl in your care may be none other than Haley James Potter."

"Oh my god," Arthur whispered to himself before saying out loud, "She always has hair in her face. I've never seen her forehead. I don't know if the scars there."

"ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE! You better hope your wrong!"

"Minerva what are you shouting about?" Poppy asked confused.

Albus sighed and said, "We are almost positive that the poor muggle that Arthur is looking after is actually none other than the famous Haley Potter."

"What but… What… You… YOU TOLD ME SHE WAS SAFE!"

"I thought she was!"

Arthur decided to interrupt before one of the witches started throwing hexes, "Maybe we should get going. I don't want Haley to wait any longer than necessary. Oh and by the way she has no idea about magic. We have been slightly Slytherin when we used it."

"Would it be possible for us to come along to make sure it's her?" Albus asked.

"I guess so but don't crowd her she is shy."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: This is my longest chapter yet!**

**Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Harry Potter. :(**

When they arrived though the floo, Arthur led them to the living room where they found Molly and Haley were sitting on opposite ends of the couch.

"Haley?" Arthur said trying to get her attention. She looked up at him to see he had three people with him. "Haley I would like you to meet some friends of mine. This is Poppy Pomphery she is the healer I told you about. These are two old friends of mine Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore."

Haley couldn't stop herself from giving a small giggle.

"What's so funny?" Molly asked confused.

"Sorry it's just that the name Albus comes from the Latin word for white and Dumbledore is an old English word for bumblebee. Dumbledores alternate meaning is a hat style that was semi-popular in the 1880s-1890s. It's just your name means either 'White Bumblebee' or 'White Hat'," Haley explained.

Everyone was stunned. Even Dumbledore didn't know what to say to that. Hell he didn't even know that!

Seeing everyone's stunned looks she quietly said, "I spend a lot of time in the library," as if that explained it.

Dumbledore just chuckled, "Well I have a feeling you are going to be full of surprises, Ms. Potter."

Molly gasped and said, "Albus you don't mean that you think this is the Haley Potter."

"Unfortunately I am positive of it. If you do not believe me ask Ms. Potter if she has the mark."

Molly glanced at Arthur who nodded then turned to Haley who seemed to be trying to sink in her seat. "Sweetheart, um, do… do you have a scar on your forehead?"

Haley looked at her in surprise but pulled the hair out of her face to reveal a lightning bolt shaped scar. Minerva and Poppy glared at Albus and he knew he would get an earful later.

"Haley, I promise you this, you will never have to go to the Dursleys again," Minerva said making sure that Dumbledore heard the implied threat. Albus just nodded at her.

They spent the next hour explaining the wizarding world to Haley. Minerva was surprised at how easily she accepted the fact that she was a witch but when she told them about her accidental magic she understood that magic was the only explanation. Haley was a very logical girl.

After their conversation, Poppy decided it was time to look her over. "Okay Haley, I am going to do a diagnosis spell. It will show all the injuries you have ever had. Alright? From that we can what injuries still hurt you and I can heal them."

Haley just nodded. "Okay," Poppy continued, "would you mind lying down for me?" Haley did as she was told. "Good, this spell will take a few minutes so just relax." Poppy started the spell and then they waited. And waited. And waited. Albus gave Poppy a confused look. She then whispered to all the adults, "The more injuries someone has sustained the longer it takes but no one of her age should take this long. Even if they were abused. Most of the abused children that I take care of at Hogwarts take about half as long and they are older and the abuse has been going on for longer."

This didn't help them relax. A few minutes later the scan was done and a large booklet appeared. Poppy skipped everything before 'Scar from Surviving Avada Kadava – October 31st 1981.' Poppy was stunned to see the next injury was, 'Cigarette Burn on Left Foot - November 2nd 1981' then there was 'Cigarette Burn on Right Hand – November 2nd 1981.' There was no way this was an accident. One burn maybe but two was definitely abuse. On a one year old too. She sat down on a chair on the far side of the room and continued reading, knowing fully well that everyone was watching her.

She was already on her twentieth page when the injuries got worse. She read things like, 'Left Arm Broken (Not Properly Set) – August 14th 1984' and 'Laceration from Left Shoulder to Right Hip (Caused by Knife) – January 1st 1985'. Poppy had been doing a good job at acting professional but when she read that she felt like crying. She held back the tears but did let out a small squeak causing everyone to get even more nervous.

She was unable to hold back her tears when she read, 'Broken Hymen – July 31st 1986'. She lost her virginity on her 6th birthday! Poppy closed the book and broke down. Minerva rushed her side and pulled her in a comforting hug. She had never seen Poppy break down like this before and they had worked on an unfortunately large number of child abuse cases. Several of the muggleborns that were abused had been placed in Gryffindor.

Dumbledore just stared at the girls. What on earth could Poppy have read to make her react like that? What had he done?

Molly and Arthur were sitting on each side of Haley and just stared at her. Haley just shrugged and said, "I have no idea what she just read."

When Poppy calmed herself down she choked out, "Your sixth birthday."

Haley just shivered and said, "Oh, that."

Minerva picked up the book and looked for the date. Everyone watched her intently. When she found what Poppy read she dropped the book in shock and clutched her chest. "Six. You were only six…" she said it in almost a whisper.

"Her birthday…" Poppy whispered.

"Please…" Molly begged, "What happened?" She had tears running down her face out of fear.

Dumbledore summoned the booklet and turned to the correct page. Not even could hold back the tears but he did manage to hand the book over to Arthur. Arthur looked at it and broke down like Poppy. Molly took the book out of his hands and read it. She dropped the book and put her arms around Haley pulling her onto her lap. Haley just sat very still. It took Poppy twenty minutes to regain enough control to continue reading. 'Two Fractured Ribs – August 6th 1986', 'Rope Burns around Wrists and Ankles – November 9th 1986', 'Anal Tearing – July 31st 1987'. The list went on and on. Poppy no longer tried to act professional. She let herself cry.

"You must really hate your birthday," Poppy said loud enough for everyone to hear but more to herself then anything.

"Um, kinda."

"Why? What did it say?" Molly asked quietly but urgently.

Poppy cleared her throat and wiped away some astray tears before saying, "Anal Tearing on her seventh birthday."

Molly held onto Haley even tighter. Haley said, "That was the best and worst birthday I ever had," as she thought about Joey and his present. Everyone was confused but didn't want to force her to explain.

Poppy turned back to the book and exclaimed, "Oh my god!" She read that every day from December 5th to December 28th 1987 Haley was beaten even more brutally. There were bruises, lacerations, broken bones, burns, dehydration; she had even made herself sick several times from crying.

"Haley what happened December 5th?" Poppy asked breathlessly.

For the first time Haley began crying but managed to answer, "Joey died."

"Who Joey, sweetheart?" Arthur asked.

"He was my only friend. He helped me when no one else would."

"What happened?" Molly asked.

"He had cancer. I was so sad when he died. I didn't care what Uncle Vernon did. I needed to cry but when I cried he got angry."

"That explains all the injuries for the next couple weeks," Poppy said to herself.

Finally got to the past couple weeks. 'Lacerations Congruent with a Whipping – June 22nd 1989', 'Scar Branded into Left and Right Forearms – June 22nd 1989', 'Rope Burns on Wrists and Ankles – June 22nd 1989', 'Burns From Hot Wax on Stomach and Left Leg – June 22nd 1989', 'Cigarette Burns on Left and Right Foot Soles – June 22nd 1989', 'High Voltage Electric Shock Caused by Cattle Prod – June 22nd 1989', 'Dehydration – June 24th – 27th 1989'.

"Oh god… um… okay Arthur is there a place where Molly, Haley, and I could go that a little more private?"

"You can go into our bedroom," Arthur told her. Molly picked Haley up and carried her to the bedroom leaving the other three alone.

Dumbledore summoned the booklet that Poppy had left behind and sat beside Arthur. Minerva sat beside him. He opened the book and the all started reading it.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Hey! No I'm not giving up my stories I just haven't had much time to write stories. I hope you enjoy. Please review or if you want you can PM me and I should write back! ENJOY!**

They three were unable to get past a few pages before feeling completely sick.

"I TOLD YOU!" Minerva yelled. "You let this happen!"

Albus closed the book and said, "I will spend the rest of my life trying to find a way to make this up to her. The Dursleys are going to get the worst punishment I can get. No one will blame me either." He then turned to Albus and said, "I assume you want her to live here?"

Arthur nodded.

"Do you think you and Molly would consider adoption?"

Arthur nodded firmly, "We already talked about it. We will do anything to help her."

"Good, I will have it arranged. I will also give you the keys to her vaults so you can get anything she may need. The Potters were very wealthy so you won't need to worry about that." He then stood up and said, "I must go to have the authorities informed. Please keep me updated on Haley's state."

With that Minerva and Arthur were left alone. They sat in silence most of the wait. They attempted some small talk but that where both very disturbed about what had happened to say much. It took well over an hour for the three to come back. Haley's arms where wrapped in bandages where the words were carved.

Molly and Haley sat down on the couch while Minerva and Arthur crossed to Poppy. "How is she?" Minerva asked quietly.

Poppy pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "I've never seen anything like it. I don't know how she survived that kind of abuse. Most children would have died from them beatings and many others would have killed themselves out of mercy."

"Oh god," Minerva whimpered.

"However Haley is very strong. I don't know how but she survived it with only scars and memories leftover. Arthur she has been traumatized. She will have problems trusting you or Molly and will most likely have flashbacks and nightmares well into her teenage years. I was able to heal most of her body but it will take a long time to heal her mind."

"Just tell us what to do and we'll do it."

888

Haley was exhausted after the exam and fell asleep on Molly's lap. Molly didn't want to let the poor girl go. She had seen her injuries and knew the pain she had went through and couldn't bear the thought of her ever being hurt again. She had more pain in the past seven years than most people have in a lifetime. She hardly noticed when Minerva and Poppy left. She sat there with Haley asleep in her arms for hours. Arthur sat beside the pair and watched Haley sadly as she laid in a peaceful sleep.

"I've never seen her so relaxed," Molly thought out loud.

"Yeah, even when we brought her here asleep she seemed uncomfortable," Arthur added. He thought for a minute and said, "She was probably in pain then though. Plus she was covered in sweat and dirt. It was probably uncomfortable."

"I don't think she's ever been hugged since her parents died," Molly said sadly.

"Don't worry Molly. We'll get her anything she needs. I will do everything I can to make sure she isn't hurting or hungry again."

A few minutes later Haley woke up in Molly's arms. After apologizing and Molly reassuring her that it was alright Arthur went out and told the kids that Molly was cooking supper. Everyone got cleaned up and waited at the table. Molly and Arthur weren't yet sure what they were going to tell the kids but hoped they would be tactful.

Unfortunately that didn't quite happen. "Haley, what happened to your arms?" Fred asked concerned.

"Huh? Oh… um… I had some… uh… cuts on them and… er… Madam Pomphery put them on."

Haley was happy that Fred accepted that answer and pushed her hair out of her face in relief causing several people to gasp.

Arthur felt like face palming at that moment, "Oh right… um, kids… I forgot to mention that Haley is Haley Potter."


End file.
